I would disagree that 400 is enough, it is definitely not enough. Sure you can open a bank account and wire that in, but if that doesn't work there is absolutely nothing to fall back on (unless you have a credit card).

You should expect that your initial month spending and deposits to somewhere north of $1500. Expect to spend on things from health insurance to shampoo.

In terms of cash, 400 is enough, but take like $2000 worth of traveler's checks.

Is it easy to open a bank account in the States ? Im quite worried. Since im going there all by myself lol.

Im going to City Tech in NY. Cheaper fees and my aunt stays nearby the campus.



you mean 400usd ? My mom was way too worried, she said bring she will exchange USD to traveller's cheque and let me bring it over to US. :/

bring around 500 in cash then 1500 in travellers check, then open an account in US, yes its pretty simple i think. all my friends there use US banks.

then tell your mom to send the money via wired transfer to your US bank account.

Yup I mean 400 dollars. And of course, you can bring as much traveler's checks as you want, but I don't because they are expensive. If you've the money northing's stopping you from buying the luxury of loading your self up with cash, credit card or traveller's checks.

Opening a back account is very simple. Just bring your documents and go to the bank. You'll get your account and some checks in less than an hour. I think I just needed my passport and student ID. The first account I opened before I even got my student ID. Wiring money over(TT) is very simple. They will surely give you an infromation sheet when you sign up and even if your parent's know nuts about banking, you can jsut email the sheet over and let the bank staff here read it and get all the necessary information. The money shouldn't take more than 5 business day's to arrive.

I pay my rental deposit and 1st month's rent before I fly over. You can mail the check over even if this is your first time flying to the states. My school fees aren't due until the end of September. I buy books used on Amazon after I've determined what books my professor actually used. I assume your bedroom is furnished.

400 can easily pay for your taxi(let's say so cham la it cost 100), food for 10 days and a microwave oven. And please make sure you settle your health insurance before you arrive or the very minute the offices open upon landing.

just wondering , is there any way that an individual could obtain a green card to serve their military ? My brother is somewhat interested in serving for the United States Air force to gain qualifications and priceless experience and then leave after a full service to pursue his dreams in aviation .

Sorry for all these questions , our family isnt quite familiar about all of these things . thanks

I'm not too sure. i think you need to get a job there, stay there for a period of time. then apply for the US green card.

but i'm not too sure if the US would allow immigrants to work in the military field. I feel that they'll accept only born and bred americans into the military field.

I didn't do my part of research for it so..yeah, it might not be true.

Non US citizens are allowed to apply as long as they have the documents that allows them to be in the states legally for a long2 time .

what about studying abroad first by Visa and maybe get a greencard after that ?

i think job opportunity related to the military for foreigners in the states is very slim.

its like a safety precaution, would you trust Indonesian serving in our military force?

So how are the preparations for those of you who will be leaving for the Fall '11 semester? Flight in 2 weeks time, still packing and sorting out my stuff..

That's a good point there. Unless you become a naturalized citizen first, I believe?

Yea, but still, the chances is like 1 in a million. US military is very strict and advanced. They cant afford a spy.

Hey guys, I'm interested in getting an iPhone 4 when I reach the States. But if I'm not mistaken to get it with the contract I'll have to deposit USD500 because I don't have a SSN.

Also, if I get a postpaid plan, how do I pay for it? Can I like bill it to my parents credit card or something.

A little confused here.

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Added on August 4, 2011, 3:59 pmWhere is everyone?

This post has been edited by latias93: Aug 4 2011, 03:59 PM

Busy packing?

So am I. When are you leaving? My flight is tomorrow.

haha yours is waaayyyyy sooner than mine. I'll fly on the 17th

Have a safe flight and enjoy your life

This post has been edited by tonnect91: Aug 6 2011, 03:08 PM

I've already arrived in LA!

I am going with my family, they want to go see Disneyland and Legoland first; that's why it's so early.

Thanks! You too!

hey, anyone in the US currently or have experience of posting stuffs home?

How is everyone doing?

I've just set up an account with Wells Fargo. Pretty simple process, just like mumeichan described.

Also, I just realized that most things, if not all, need SSN to sign up for - such as store membership cards, etc. It's definitely not fun not being able to receive additional discounts!

Does anyone know ANY major brands/retail outlets/ANYTHING that doesn't require a SSN to sign up?

Hardly. The reason they want a SSN is because from your SSN, they can lookup your income and credit history. If you have no SSN, you wouldn't have a credit history anyway because no bank will issue you a credit card. Why, because you need a SSN to work or something like that.

my friend working in dell...
for his internship..
he getting 6000 USD...
when I heard that,I was like speechless..
but after minus the tax still got around 4k la...
btw,he is the best student...

wow. the tax are that heavy?